Mali Need Not Be France's Afghanistan

From a military standpoint, the French had to act, according to experts on the region. More than 8,000 French citizens live in Mali, many of them in Bamako. And last week militant groups were on the verge of seizing a militarily vital airfield in the town of Sevare. Had the field been seized, it would have been enormously difficult for troops from France or a UN-mandated West African force to have moved into Mali.